Baylor Baseball tallies first road series win of the year over the Kansas Jayhawks
The Bears (24-12, 5-7 Big 12) has won 11 of its last 13 after winning a series two games to one over the Jayhawks (21-15, 3-9 Big 12) in Lawrence this weekend.
GAME 1 - Baylor 8, Kansas 2
For the second time this season newcomer Jack Pineda started the game with a home run to give Baylor the 1-0 lead after the first inning.
The Jayhawks answered back in the third with a leadoff homer to center field to knot things up at 1-1. KU took the lead in the fourth after a single and error in the outfield scored one to make it 2-1.
The Bears responded in a big way in the fifth, which started off with a leadoff blast from fourth-year junior Davion Downey to tie it up at 2-2. Later in the inning and with two outs, BU went to work. Second-year freshman Jared McKenzie brought in a run with a single to center field while giving the Bears the 3-2 edge. Back-to-back doubles to right center from second-year freshman Tre Richardson and fifth-year senior Andy Thomas made it 5-2, before newcomer Antonio Valdez crushed a two-run shot over the scoreboard in right field to push the advantage to 7-2.
Baylor added an insurance run in the seventh when McKenzie tripled and Richardson brought him home with a sacrifice fly to make it 8-2, the eventual final.
BU starter Tyler Thomas (4-2) earned the victory after hurling five innings, allowing one earned run on five hits, while striking out four. In relief, Jacob Ashkinos (2) threw four scoreless innings to earn his second save of the season. For KU, it was starter Ryan Cyr (3-5) who was tabbed with the loss.
GAME 2 - Baylor 6, Kansas 2
Baylor struck first in the third inning after loading the bases with one out, when Andy Thomas singled to center field to make it 1-0. In the next at-bat, Valdez blasted his second home run of the day, this time a three-run shot to put BU in control, 4-0 after three innings.
Kansas battled back in the fourth with two runs of its own to make it a 4-2 ballgame, however, the Bears used a number of stellar defensive plays to keep the Jayhawks off the board the rest of the game.
In the sixth, BU added to its lead when second-year freshman Kyle Nevin brought home Valdez with an RBI-single with two outs.
The Bears used an additional insurance run in the ninth to seal the win after McKenzie belted his fourth hit of the game with an RBI infield single to make it 6-2 in favor of Baylor.
Fifth-year senior Jimmy Winston (6-2) won his team-leading sixth game of the year after throwing 3.2 scoreless innings in relief, while fifth-year man Ryan Leckich (1) earned the first save of his career after closing out the game with 1.1 innings of work. Kansas starer Cole Larsen (4-3) picked up the loss.
GAME 3 - Baylor 2, Kansas 3
Baylor struck first in the fourth inning when second-year freshman Tre Richardson led off the inning with a double down the left field line. A few plays later, fifth-year senior Andy Thomas came through with an RBI-ground out to make it 1-0.
Kansas bounced back in the sixth and seventh by scratching a run across in each to take the 2-1 advantage after seven innings.
The Bears tied the game in the top of the ninth when Thomas only needed one pitch to knot things up at 2-2 with a leadoff home run. After a leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth, the Jayhawks used a base hit to seal the win, 3-2.
Fifth-year senior Hayden Kettler had a solid outing for BU after throwing 5.2 innings while allowing one run on seven hits and no walks, while striking out three. Fifth-year closer Luke Boyd (0-2) was tabbed with the loss, as Jonah Ulane (2-0) earned the win for KU.